One of our most commonly made foods lately has been soup. We make at least one large pot a week if not two. Soup is something that I used to be totally intimidated by and didn't know where to start. I have come to realize that they are delicious, really good for you, hard to screw up, and the options are endless in terms of which veggies, meat, and/or spices that you use. This week I have a butternut squash soup recipe for you! Enjoy!
I was talking to a patient this week, and we were on the topic of breakfast. Here’s how the conversation went...
Me:"I had a healthy breakfast this morning."
Patient: "What, like yogurt?"
Me: "No, actually I had bacon, eggs, and a lot of veggies."
Patient:"Oh bacon and eggs, real healthy (insert eye roll) … I wish I could get away with that."
So many people are so afraid of fat and cholesterol that it makes me sad! I’m trying to educate people one at a time, but maybe writing this blog will help to do it faster.
Bacon and eggs have gotten a bad reputation over the years. Ever since this picture appeared on the cover of Time Magazine on March 24, 1984, almost everyone in our country has been afraid of fat and cholesterol.
This week we are sharing one of our favorite recipes. Jared has been making us a big pot of collard greens every week for the last few months. Leafy greens such as collards, kale, turnip greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, and swiss chard are nutrient power houses! According to the website Worlds Healthiest Foods , Collard Greens help with high LDL cholesterol, cancer prevention, and acute bowel disorder. They are also anti-inflammatory and are great for bone health and brain health!
How many greens should you eat in a day? I love Dr. Terry Wahls' take on this matter. She is a medical doctor that healed her own multiple sclerosis by changing her diet. She recommends 9 cups of vegetables per day, 3 of which are leafy greens. She believes this is necessary to heal MS, heal other autoimmune diseases, and provide all the nutrition that your body needs. You can eat them raw or cooked, but I recommend cooked, especially if you have digestive issues.
Here is the recipe!
How Do You Handle Stress?There is nothing that I can do directly to change the stressors in your life, but I can help you to re-frame the way you think about these stresses to make your experience completely different.
These days most of my patients feel stressed. While I understand that it is a fast paced and demanding world that we live in, our bodies are not meant to be in a constant state of stress. We have mechanisms in place to deal with short term intense events (fight or flight), but if we are constantly feeling stressed, this is very hard on the body and can wreak havoc on organ systems such as our adrenals, thyroid, digestive systems and beyond.
